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Originally Posted by Lalwendë
I can't think of any places in the modern world as extreme as Mordor or as idyllic as The Shire, but we can all think of countries which have expended high percentages of their money on military investment to the detriment of their people, or who have been engaged in war for so many years that any kind of human development effectively draws to a halt (Afghanistan is maybe a very good example of this?). Perhaps a little of this was at work in Gondor, too much of their resources having to be poured into defence. And also Rohan. Though I think they are also a younger culture so you could maybe not expect them to develop all that much, I often wonder how much Helm's Deep actually cost them to maintain!
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To be fair, I think it's important to recall by what means the Shire was allowed to remain so "idyllic" and peaceful. It was constantly watched and guarded by the Rangers, not to mention the special interest and love Gandalf had for it. It's clear from the books that the Hobbits were able to develop such a singular society only through the vigilance and military efforts of many, from the Rangers who kept an eye on Eriador, to the Rohirrim who guarded the Gap, to Gondor which held the frontier of the West against the Orcs and Men loyal to Sauron.
The other, more "realistic" peoples of Middle-earth are themselves beset by dangers and forced to take thought for the own defense. As far as I know, the Shirefolk and their kin in Bree are the only ones who enjoy such daily tranquility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lalwendë
The Elves, I think, we can leave out of this line of thought. Tolkien shows us that they had entered a state where they sought to preserve, rather than develop. Their stasis was brought about for very different reasons than the stasis of Gondor.
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Indeed. When you have virtually unlimited time at your disposal, it's easy to see the focus changing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lalwendë
But in the end, I don't think Tolkien wanted to show us that development was a bad thing in itself, just that there were good and bad ways of applying technology. Which is kind of a theme throughout his work if you think about it. The crafts of Celebrimbor aren't a bad thing, but the crafts of Sauron certainly are!
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Well, the Rings of
Power were not entirely good, as they did seek to impart to the wearer abilities beyond their native means, but at least the Three had good intentions behind their making.